Non-hostile Entities
by lalchan
Summary: Koenma feels it would be in his best interests to foster good relations between Reikai and SHEILD. Fury is not amused. Sequel to 'The Joys of Working for Reikai'
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So, here's a sequel to my previous story. I hope everyone likes it!

Disclaimer: I own neither Yu Yu Hakusho nor Avengers

Enjoy!

"Intruder alert! Intruder alert!"

Nick Fury glared at the flaring lights.

"Agent Hill! What the hell's going on?!" Maria Hill, who had previously been who knows where, suddenly appeared at his side.

"We have intruders sir."

"Really. Mind telling me _who_ the intruders are?" The agent nodded and walked over to one of the computers and began to fiddle with the key board.

"Here they are sir. Three people, male, two of them Asian, one American. We have a match on the American: a Doctor Alexander Gooden. The Avengers Initiative was sent after him two months ago, but before they could apprehend him, a . . . another, entity appeared, and-"

"I've read the reports. I want-" Fury paused. Agent Hill had tensed, and was holding her earpiece.

"Sir, it seems they are non-hostile. They have surrendered to the guards, and are asking to speak to you."

He narrowed his eyes. "Me specifically?"

Hill turned, looking as if she was trying very hard not to be amused. "They claim they wish to speak to the 'Angry dude with the eye patch,' sir." Fury felt his eyebrow twitch. Those jokes about his name were _not_ funny.

"Send them up. I'll speak to them in my office."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kuwabara glared at the three men in black that had him and Kurama surrounded. If these idiots thought they could stop either of them, they were sorely mistaken; he would have said as much, but Kurama had told him that if he wanted to come, he had to behave, and apparently beating the hell out of arrogant-American-jerk secret agents didn't count as behaving.

Of course, he still had the reason he had come here for- to practice his English.

"So," He began, planning out a sentence in his head. "I'm Kazuma Kuwabara. Who are you?" He got no reply. They didn't even glance at him.

_"Hey, Kurama, did I say it right?"_ He asked quietly in Japanese. Kurama smiled encouragingly and answered in English.

"Yes, Kuwabara, you said it correctly. If you could, please answer my friend's question. He came here to practice his English, and you are being very rude." He gave them a creepy yet completely polite smile that sent shivers down Kuwabara's spine.

_He's even scarier than my sister when he gets like that._

The guy closest to him was the first to speak. "Our names are classified."

Kuwabara blinked. He wasn't really sure what that meant. "Huh. Oh, okay. So, where are you taking us?"

This time the guy in the front answered. "To see Nick Fury."

"Oh yeah, the angry guy. He's in charge, right?"

"That is correct."

"Cool." The rest of the trip passed in silence, interrupted only by the occasional muffled grunts and complaints of the Reikai prisoner. Kuwabara had tied the man's hands and gagged him, after he had started struggling during the ride with Botan. That stupid oar was scary enough, they didn't need some idiot thrashing around and complaining the whole time.

When they finally arrived at the guy's office, the first guard entered, and the other two stationed themselves by the door. Kurama lead the way, while Kuwabara followed, giving the prisoner a gentle shove as he did so, just to let him know who was boss.

The guy at the desk looked just like the picture in the file labeled 'SHEILD' that Koenma had showed them earlier.

Kuwabara glanced at Kurama, and then looked back at the angry guy with the eye patch. It was probably better if Kurama handled all the diplomatic stuff or whatever, and he just listened.

Kurama gave a slight bow.

"Good afternoon. I am Shuichi Minamino, and this is my friend Kazuma Kuwabara. We are here to deliver this man into your custody."

Kuwabara raised his hand in greeting when his name was called, but didn't bow. Kurama could be way too polite sometimes- the Fury guy wasn't even standing up, and he was giving them both a dark glare.

"You are Nick Fury, head of the organization called SHEILD, are you not?" The man's visible eyebrow twitched, and he finally spoke.

"Yes. Who are you? How did you get here, and how did you find this man?" The questions sounded a lot more aggressive than they should have, and Kuwabara bristled. Before Kurama could smooth out anything, he jumped in.

"We already told you who we are! If you're gonna be such a jerk about it, why don't we just take the guy and leave? Koenma's being pretty gracious letting you have him!"

Kurama's eyes widened slightly, and he immediately stepped forward. "Please forgive my companion's short temper, he has had a difficult week."

Kuwabara snorted, but managed to keep his mouth shut. It was true after all. Who would have thought chasing after escaped Reikai convict could be so stressful. It didn't help that he had been forced to work with the shrimp.

"You are no doubt very curious after you're last encounter with the other realms- namely, Doctor Gooden's summoning of the demon fox Youko Kurama-sama."

Kuwabara tried _really_ hard not to laugh at that.

He still failed miserably.

Fury gave him a critical glare, and he suddenly remembered that Kurama had mentioned that he really wanted them to not to know about how he was also Kurama. He decided he should probably try and salvage the situation- laughing at your cover story probably wasn't the best idea . . .

"Uh, Shuichi, why are you being so respectful to that guy?" There, that was convincing enough, right?

"But Kuwabara," he said with an innocent look, "it's always better to be _polite_ when dealing with demons."

"I could take that guy, don't worry about me man."

"Really?"

_Oh crap, we're going to spare later aren't we? Me and my stupid mouth._

"That's not the point, anyway, we're getting off track." He managed, trying to get off this awkward subject.

"Indeed, we are." Kurama turned back to furry- er Fury, who was examining them closely, as if he stared at them long enough, he would be able to read their minds or something.

"The demon Youko Kurama-_san_ spoke to Koenma-sama on your behalf, mentioning that this fell more into your district, and that he should return this man to your custody, in the interests of good relations."

"And where do you two fit into this?" Fury asked, apparently wondering why two college students were working for the god of the underworld.

"We have had experience dealing with the supernatural- it is much more common in Japan- and Koenma-sama asked us to bring him since our presence would be more welcome than that of . . . someone who actually works for him."

"Yeah, I don't think you guys would know how to handle Botan, or George" Kuwabara muttered just loud enough for them to hear.

"So, let me get this straight, a demon spoke on our behalf, and the god of the underworld sent me one of his prisoners, by way of two teenagers."

Kurama smiled. "Exactly."

Fury stood. He looked like he was about to call for guards- which was his and Kurama's que to leave.

They stood also, and Kurama bowed. Kuwabara didn't.

"Now that we have explained, we need to go. I really should get home or I'll be late for work."

A large portal opened with a whoosh of air- Botan was going to be mad about them taking a different route back, but she'd forgive them- and they started to walk through.

"Goodbye." Kurama said politely.

"Ja ne!" Kuwabara yelled over the loud air.

Fury looked about to burst. "Wait, get back here, we have questions for-" But he was cut off as the portal shut.

Kuwabara glanced over at his friend.

"Do you really have work today?"

Kurama gave him a light smirk. "Nope."

"Didn't think so."

End-

A/N: So, tell me what you think- I have another chapter planned for this, but don't expect regular updates. Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Wow, an update, who would have thought? And so fast too. Heh, I was on a vacation that involved really long car rides, so this happened. I don't even know how though- I'm currently on a Yugioh binge, so shouldn't I be wanting to write for that fandom? My brain makes no sense sometimes . . .

A note that's relevant to the story: This is, as you might have guessed, post-series for YYH, but the Reikai Tantei is still active. Yes they were disbanded by Koenma's father, but I'm pretty sure Koenma wrestled control from Enma and became the new ruler(didn't they say that happened at the last chapter of the manga or something?) so the team still gets sent on missions and such, but Koenma hasn't officially named them the new spirit detectives.

Also, thanks for the reviews everyone! They mean a lot to me!

Disclaimer: I own neither YYH, or the Avengers

Natasha narrowed her eyes from the vantage point of a high rooftop. Fury had assigned her to watch a 'Shuichi Minamiono,' one of the intruders. She was currently looking at him through a pair of high tech binoculars- he had just gotten home, and now it was time to put all those listening devices she had put in place earlier that day to hear what was going on.

'Tadaimasu, okaaa-san'

'Ah, Shuichi-san, okaraerinasai.'

The conversation went on. It was typical, boring, and polite all rolled into one.

_So, he puts on an act for his family._

She had been shown footage of the two teenagers visit, and this boy had definitely been the leader, and the more clever of the two. The other- Kazuma Kuwabara- was also being watched, though not by anyone near as high ranked as the Black Widow was.

She watched and listened as the rest of the family greeted him, and he said something about going up to his room to get changed.

She sat studiously on the roof top, careful to not think about how long this might last. Natasha could be a very patient person, but watching a teenage kid go through everyday life was not how she wanted to spend the next few weeks until something happened.

Perhaps some kami passing by heard her thoughts, because several seconds later, something _did_ happen.

"I thought I smelled something foreign."

_That voice-_

She made a one eighty and pulled out both guns in less time than it took to blink.

The white haired demon just smirked. "Spying on Koenma's little friends now, are you? How quaint." He began to run hand through his hair, but she quickly tensed her finger on the trigger(s).

"Don't move. I saw what you did last time."

He paused, hand inches from silvery tresses, and his eyes gleamed with pleasure. "You noticed. I'm flattered. You're very quick- for a human anyway."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should. Most humans can't even follow me with their eyes when I move that quickly- you almost hit me."

"So if I'm that good- why are you here, putting yourself at risk?"

"I'm a curious demon."

"And here I thought those were fox ears."

"Oh, they are. Kitsune can be just as curious as cats. We're just more clever about it."

"And how is approaching an armed opponent on her chosen ground clever?"

"Because," He dropped his arms slowly, letting his clawed hands fall open and in clear view at his sides, "I can do this."

Before she could react, vines shot up from the side of the building and began to wrap around her. She shot reflexively, but the demon moved too quickly, and her arms were being jerked by the vines. Then, suddenly, she had no space to move in at all.

_Fooled me twice, shame on me. This is _not_ happening a third time._

Thankfully, her arms were at her sides, which meant- ah there it was. She began sawing at the vines as best she could while only moving her wrist slightly. If she could get out of this . . .

She made a show of grunting and trying to struggle, then gave him a haughty glare. "Are all demons like you?" _Come on, I need more information._

"Oh, no, like I said before, I'm one of the nicer ones."

"I meant, with the plants. Or is that just a fox thing?" _Just keep talking, I'm almost through-_

"Trying to get more information out of me?" _Govno._ "Well, I'd be happy to comply. It's not like we're enemies." _That is to be decided. But at least he's willing to talk._

"Demons manipulate their . . . demonic energy, generally called youki, due to the large number of demon inhabitants in Japan versus all other countries. Each demon usually has a different specialty. Mine, as you've already noticed, is plant manipulation. I've met those who can control wind, explosives, even yo-yos. Some can even make their energy form an actual energy weapon, like a sword." He smirked. "I suppose if I were to try and explain what that was like, I would say it was similar to a light saber, only made up of the demon's own energy."

_Now, just keep talking, while I finish off the vines on my other arm._ "So, if we're not enemies, why am I all tied up?"

"Because, even though we have shown no hostility towards SHEILD, you are here, spying on us."

_He used 'us.' Why?_

"Those of the Reikai Tantei do not take kindly spys."

_'Spirit World Detectives?' _"What do you mean, Reikai Tantei? Are you a part of some sort of team?"

"Do your research. I'm sure you'll find something on us."

She was about to make another inquiry, when she felt the vines on her hands loosened enough that she knew she had cut thme enough to get out of this predicament. _Finally got it. My guns are trapped somewhere in vines, which means- _she threw her knives.

He jumped out of the way, but not before she saw two slivers of blood on his cheek and arm. She held out her hands as a guard, and faced him, waiting for an attack.

"Always so eager to fight."

"You attacked first."

"You intruded first."

"Touché."

He caught a droplet of blood on his finger then licked it clean, eyes never leaving her. "Well, why don't we call a truce? I gave you some information, so you stop spying on the two humans."

"I'm only spying on the one."

"I know there's another at the other boy's house."

_How? It's at least a train ride away. It would have taken an hour for him to run . . . are demons really that fast?_

"I'll talk to Fury."

He smiled. "That's all I ask."

And with a whisper of movement, he was gone.

Several moments later Shuichi-kun returned downstairs.

Natasha packed up her gear, and headed down the fire escape.

It was time she made a report to Fury. She had some interesting information.

End-

Ano, ne,

A/N: So, how did you like? And, just so you know, this is not a Natasha/Youko fic, even if it really looks like it (although the thought did enter my head). I just re watched the Avengers, and was once again amazed at how BA Black Widow is. I think she could even be a match for Kurama, if he didn't have his youki abilities. They're both very well matched, and experts of deceit.

Govno: a Russian word that I am _not_ going to translate. Lal no like naughty words.

Reikai Tantei: if you don't know what this means, you really shouldn't be reading this fic- Natasha translates it for you anyway.

Tadaimasu: I'm home

Okaa-san: mother

Okaerinasai: welcome back

Also, just a note, you might have noticed a few things Kurama was leaving out. Mainly, he attributed Kuwa-kun's ability as a demonic ability, and didn't mention that humans could manipulate their energy as well. Also, he knows about the spy at Kuwabara's house because of Hiei(and his Jagan). But he left this out mostly because he didn't want them to know about more demons in the area/ he wanted them to overestimate his abilities and therefore feel the need to back off


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: And, happy July 4th everyone! In celebration, I have posted two chapters in as many days for this fic. It's a little short, but oh well. Hope you enjoy!

Also, to the reviewer who seemed to have issues with the fact that I thought Kurama and Natasha were well matched in fighting abilities- please keep in mind that I said they would be matched _if he didn't have his youki abilities._

Disclaimer: I do not own YYH, or the Avengers

"So, in summation." Nick Fury set the tablet on the table top and leveled the room full of heroes(and agents) a severe gaze. "There's a team called the Reikai Tantei- or 'Spirit World Detectives,' that work for the ruler of another realm, made up of two college age kids and a fox demon, and possibly other unknown entities."

"Woah, hold on a minute," Stark said, raising his hand in a manner that was most likely meant to be mocking. "You're calling us here because two kids and a guy with kitty ears have pissed you off?"

"No. I'm calling you here because SHEILD has just been made aware of a whole new _realm _that is made up of creature with unknown powers and strength that could become a major threat to Earth in the future."

"Sir," Steve began, always the polite one. "How do we even know that this 'Koenma' person really is . . . what he says he is. I mean, doesn't this seem a little, _odd_ to anyone?"

"You're a super hero who was stuck in ice for several decades after defeating a Nazi that used Alien Tech. Meeting someone who works for a self-proclaimed god-even if it is the god of the underworld- isn't that big a deal." Natasha paused and narrowed her eyes at the floor. "Of course, if he _is_ what they're saying he is, it could get messy."

Dr Banner snorted and adjusted his glasses. "Messy? Fighting demons? _And_ a god? That's an understatement."

"You had no trouble fighting against me." Thor said, looking rather annoyed that he hadn't been seen as big a threat as this 'Koenma' person was.

"Alien, not god. Which brings up the point, what if this is another Alien? The portals _were _similar to what we saw from Asgard." Fury looked at them all. "We don't know what were dealing with, it could be anything, which is why I called the Avengers here."

"If you ask me, you just like the fact that you can order us all around for a few hours. You've been calling us way too much recently. I have a life besides this, you know."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "What, is the hotshot billionaire too busy going to parties and getting drunk?"

"Hey! I don't do that anymore-"

"Stark! Stay on track!"

"-As much. Yes sir, right away sir." He grumbled, as he slumped back into his chair.

"So, this is really all you have?" The Captain was eyeing the pictures taken at odd angles as if he didn't believe the ultimate super secret stalking organization hadn't magically turned up more information on these people.

"Not any that their willing to share." Tony muttered.

"We're working on it. We have some possible leads, but nothing solid as of yet."

"So basically, you're looking for people to interrogate."

Fury ignored him. "We've located where they live, and it seems that the demon 'Kurama' stays in the same area, since he was able to spot both our agents watching the two . What I want the Avengers to do is find them, and confront them-"

"Woah, confront as in not-fight, confront? I'm a superhero, not a diplomat!" Stark protested, at the same time Banner gave Fury a hard stare and asked, "You want _us_ to talk to them?"

"I don't have much other choice. You represent Earth, and you are now well known as Earth's protectors. You've already met one of them, and last time they talked to me, they didn't seem very willing to give up any information."

"They don't trust you," Stark snorted. "Hmm, I wonder why?"

Steve sighed and glanced over at Fury.

"When do we leave?"

"As soon as the jet's finished fueling."

"I call the window seat!"

"Stark, can't you be serious for five minutes?"

"Oh please, let's not start that again."

"You humans are always bickering, when you should be preparing for battle."

"Thor, do you even know what diplomacy means?"

And the conference room dissolved into squabbles.

Nick Fury had only one thought.

_God save us all._

End-

Arigato minna-sama!

A/N: I had so much fun writing this. I just love their bickering. But it was also really hard, keeping track of all the conversation threads, while still not getting _off_ track. It's why I left out most of the beginning part- you know, the part where Fury actually tells them whats going on. I think it's why in most ff stories, conversations with lots of characters usually have only a few people who speak(and they're either the main, or the writer's favorite). I tried to make sure everyone got they're input, but I couldn't for the life of me think of anything for Barton to say . . . so, he's either busy elsewhere, or just not up for conversation today. Meh, he's the strong silent type, he'll be fine- he can be awesome without lines.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I haven't mentioned this before-even though you probably already noticed- but any italicized part of a conversation that is in quotes is Japanese. Just wanted to clarify, since there is no way in the Makai that Yuusuke payed attention in school enough to pick up another language.

Warning for some crude-ish humor on the part of one Tony Stark(who else?). Also, I felt that Thor was a little off . . . I don't know, you can tell me in your reviews(hint hint- yes, I am shameless)

Also, someone really needs to add to this section, because so far I am the only one. I mean really, everyone's seen Avengers by now, right? Make this crossover section more popular!

Disclaimer: Yo no tengo nada

Kurama was not having a good day. Yuusuke's yelling wasn't making it any better.

_"What the Hell?!"_ The teenager was in his typical 'you asked for it' fighting stance, pointer finger at the ready. _"You wrecked my Ramen stand you jerks!"_

_"Yuusuke, if you would please calm down-"_

"What's the kid freaking out about?" Red and gold armor asked in a very impolite manner.

Kurama gave a little sigh. "He's angry that you broke his Ramen stand when you landed."

"Oh, that thing?" There was a metallic snort. "Not very sturdy- and I think he's flipping the wrong finger- or is it different here in Japan? Maybe because guys are smaller here . . ."

Kurama was suddenly extremely grateful that Yuusuke could not understand English beyond the obligatory 'hello,' and 'bye bye,' because that comment would probably have cost the man a very large Rei-gun shaped hole in his armor.

"Tony of Stark. You should apologize for breaking this boy's wooden food container. It is unwise to upset others when you are a stranger in their land."

And then there was the other guy. Kurama recognized him from the last time he had run into the team known as the Avengers, but now that he was closer, he was noticing a distinctly not-from-Earth smell about him.

Well, Koenma _had_ mentioned that SHEILD dealt with aliens.

"Oh, and you would know wouldn't you?" The armored man replied.

_"Yuusuke." _Kurama interrupted his friend's flowing river of expletives. _"These are people with the group that Kuwabara and I met with."_

Yuusuke glared. _"He said they were jerks, but seriously, someone is going to pay for that."_

Kurama glanced at the pair in front of them, and decided to see if taking Yuusuke's statement literally would work. "Mr Stark, would you mind paying for a replacement cart? This is my friend's livelihood after all."

Stark paused for a moment, then shrugged his armored shoulders. "Sure, send me the bill."

_"He said he'll pay for a new cart."_

_"He better."_

And just then, the rest of the team arrived.

"Hey guys, what took so long?"

A man in a lab coat and glasses huffed and said in what sounded like a sarcastic tone, "Oh, you know, we were just looking for a place to park our _jet._"

American-flag man glanced at the wrecked mass of wood then glared at Tony. "Did you do this?"

"Why does everyone assume it was me?"

The red headed agent raised an eyebrow. "Because when Thor blows things up, there's usually lightning, and I didn't see any of that on the way over."

"I would not have done this!" Thor cried indignantly.

"We need to stay on track people." American-flag man turned to them(actually mostly just Kurama). "I'm Captain America, this is Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Doctor Banner. We've been sent here by SHEILD to negotiate."

"Negotiate what, exactly?" Kurama asked.

The Captain looked about to say something, but 'Black Widow' interrupted. "Your 'Koenma' seems to be interested in SHEILD. Well, SHEILD is interested in him. We've been sent to see just what we can do about that."

"Fair enough." Kurama turned to Yuusuke. _"They want to meet Koenma."_

_"Che, what do they want with the brat?"_

_"Who knows. But since they've managed to avert an apocalypse type situation without turning into demons, he might try and recruit them."_

_"Ha, I wouldn't put it past him." _Kurama noticed out of the corner of his eye that the red head was eyeing him curiously. _She was spying on me- so she can probably speak Japanese. Ah well, time for introductions._

"Everyone, this is Yuusuke Urameshi-another member of the Reikai Tantei- and you probably already know that I am _Shuichi_- " he paused and gave Yuusuke a critical look, "-Minamino. Kuwabara is at school right now, but we can take you to see Koenma-sama."

"What about the guy with the ears?" Ironman asked.

Kurama blinked innocently and grabbed Yuusuke's ear lobe. "You mean him?"

"The demon." Red clarified, not looking at all amused.

_"Hey, wadja do that for?!"_

"Ah, yes. You really should have been more specific. He usually doesn't show himself during the day. Maybe you'll meet him some other time." He smiled and winked at the red head. "He says he had fun playing with you, though. I'll tell him you missed him."

She stiffened almost imperceptibly, but otherwise showed no reaction to his comment.

_Still a little sore, I see. Well I _was _a bit of a show off. It had the desired effect though- they stopped spying on us._

Kurama glanced over at Yuusuke, who was glaring once more and rubbing his ear tenderly. _"Should I call Botan, or-"_

_"Hell no! You think I wanna be stuck on a boat oar with these guys?"_

Kurama smiled. "That's what I thought." He turned to the odd group before him and said, "Follow me please." Before turning on his heel and heading for the park. He ignored any inquiries that were made, and began searching for a good spot. He could, of course, make a portal anywhere, but it was easier if it was an area high in Reiki, especially with this many people going through it.

He eventually found a good spot that was relatively empty(it was during normal school and work hours, so there were fewer people out) and called the group of curious heroes and one agitated Mazoku over.

"I'll be making the portal here. Is everyone ready?"

"Hey, can anyone make one of these portals?" The Ironman asked. It was apparently something they had all been wondering, because everyone's gaze fixed on Kurama.

"I'm afraid not. I've had quite a bit of special training. Most people don't have the knack for it."

"Can the demon?" Black Widow suddenly asked.

"Yes." He answered. He could almost see the wheels turning in her head. _Wonder if she'll figure it out._

"Anyone else on your team?"

"Botan can, although not in the same way. She doesn't really open portals, she opens . . . rivers, I suppose you could call them. Rivers of realities." He got a few odd looks at that, but he thought it was a rather clever analogy, considering Botan's official title was a 'Ferry girl of the River Styx.'

"Is she human?"

"No, although she used to be. She's currently a shinigami."

"Excuse me?" The doctor asked.

"Well, literally translated it would mean 'death spirit,' but its rather like a grim reaper in Western culture."

"_A _grim reaper?" Ironman suddenly asked. "As in, there's more than one of them running around?"

"Oh yes. You'll see a lot of them once we get to Reikai. Also, I should warn you that Koenma-sama likes to hire ogres as staff- I believe they work for less- so be prepared." Then he turned, and pulled open a portal large enough to sustain them all passing through it, and walked through.

The Avengers followed, looking dubious as they disappeared through the round shimmering hole that had suddenly appeared in the air before them.

End-

Ja, ne!

A/N: Wooh, they're almost to the meeting with Koenma . . . and then I'll be winging it, because I have no 'plot' left(you're all thinking, 'this has a plot?' My answer is no, it doesn't, but it's fun to write and hopefully fun to read too.)

Concerning Botan, I always imagined that the ferry girls in Reikai used to be human, and then after they died, got recruited. Meh, just a weird theory of mine that is a part of my head-cannon.

I know this cut off a little sharply, but I didn't feel like going any farther. Ugh, so tired from work. I think me feet are going to fall off if I try to stand up. Oh well, looks like I'm stranded on the couch for tonight.

Thanks for the reviews! They made me grin. I'll reply to them after I post this.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Wow. So tired. I've been working nightshift this weekend, 7p-7a, and I kind of want to go die now. I just slept for a few hours, but now I have to wake up and study, because summer semester finals are . . . oh crap, that's tomorrow isn't it. Dang it. And I have a project I need to finish . . .

Why am I on FFnet right now?

Anyway, you can thank my night shift for the completed chapter, because I had like five hours of nothing to do but try and stay awake(and also help this lady who kept wanting the bed pan)I know I kind of left off at a suspenseful point last chapter, but . . . I'm giving you a little change of scenery. You guys were probably wondering where SHEILD was going to get their info right? Cue 'interrogations,' or, not so much interrogations. You'll see.(Special thanks to reviewer Black Shadow Tigress, otherwise I never would have thought of this) It should take about ten seconds of reading to figure it out.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers or YYH

Warning: I used a naughty word this chapter. I feel kind of bad about it, but I also feel that it fit, so I couldn't take it out.

Nick Fury stared at the the sight the greeted his eye and glared wholeheartedly.

"That's . . . a lot of stairs." Agent Hill muttered almost under her breath.

Fury glanced over at her, and she answered his unasked question. "We've still been unable to find out what's disturbing our sensors, sir."

Fury nodded gruffly. "Keep working on it."

"Yes sir."

And they began their ascent.

Their _really_ time consuming ascent.

By the time they had reached the top, both agents were trying to pretend like they weren't out of breath. They were also wishing that solid black wasn't the SHEILD standard uniform color.

When they reached the top, a serene picture met their eyes. An old style Japanese temple floated peacefully in a background of thick foliage. A small well, and sparkling wind chimes hanging from the edges of the roof made it look even more like it was a picture out of an antique's catalogue.

And, a final detail in the little scene before them, was a small woman dressed in a traditional looking tunic and under-clothes, with a wrinkly frown on her face.

It almost looked like she was _waiting _for them. The two paused for a moment, and Fury let his hand drift casually toward his hip, where his gun was. He knew Agent Hill was doing the same thing- they were both trained to be cautious. This lady might look harmless, but all their sources pointed toward her as a major source of information on the 'Reikai.' (Well, actually, they pointed in a few other directions, but so far those had all been dead ends- quite literally)

"Kyoda Genkai?" Fury asked.

The old woman gave them a look over-glare and then stood easily and crossed her arms. "What the hell do you want?"

Not . . . exactly the reaction either of the agents had been expecting. But of course, being agents of SHEILD, neither of them showed any sign of surprise.

He flipped out his badge with a practiced ease. "I'm Nick Fury, head of SHE-"

"I know who you are, dimwit. I want to know what you want." Fury twitched visibly, and gave her a fearsome look- one that was returned. He managed not to bite back a retort, though. They still needed information from her, and he may be determined, but he drew the line a interrogating an old woman. Even if she did have a bad attitude.

That meant they had to be friendly- or at least civil- which meant no yelling, or insulting. Or demanding. He really would have liked to send someone else on this mission, but it was too important, and he wouldn't have been able to monitor it because of the unknown interference that currently blanketed out this place and all the woods surrounding it.

"We need information on the realm known as 'Reikai.' We've had some encoun-"

"I know all about your little run-ins with the Tantei. The fox told me all about it. So, hurry up and get to the point, or leave."

Fury had _not_ just walked up the longest flight of stairs in the history of mankind just to walk back down them without anything to show for it. So, he got to the point. "What exactly is the 'Reikai,' how do you travel to and from it, is Koenma really a deity, what connects you to the Reikai, what exactly is the Reikai Tantei, and are the beings from this realm a potential threat to Earth and humankind?"

Genkai paused, and looked him over critically. "And why should I tell you any of this?"

"SHEILD takes its responsibilities concerning Earth's safety very seriously."

The old woman snorted. "How noble." She turned and walked into the house. Fury stared after her in something akin to shock, until she glanced back and raised an eyebrow. "Well! What are you waiting for? Get your butts in here before I decide you're not worth my time!"

Fury pursed his lips, then followed.

They entered the small wooden building, both agents eyeing the bare walls suspiciously. Genkai walked over to a small mat on the floor and sat, then glared at them. Fury paused, glanced at the other two mats on the floor, glared back, and then sat grumpily on he one facing the old woman. Hill quickly followed suit.

After he felt his knees begin to strain, Fury decided that this would have to be quick. "What can you tell me?"

"About Reikai? Not much. I knew the old ruler. He was a bastard if there ever was one, but his brat Koenma only just took over a few years back, so you'll have to figure it out yourself. I will say one thing though- ever since his take over there have been a lot less deaths due to demonic activity." Fury nodded, and glanced at Agent Hill, who also nodded. She was recording it. Good. They could go over everything later.

"And the Rekai Tantei?"

The old woman gave a half affectionate, half scornful smirk. "Now I am familiar with them. Their leader is my dimwitted apprentice."

Fury blinked. "Shuichi Minamino."

The woman stared at him. "Hah!" She barked. "You think he's my apprentice? No. Yuusuke, the punk with the obnoxious hair."

Well that was specific. Because really, long red hair was pretty obnoxious looking on an Asian guy. And so was short curly orange hair- or even long and silver.

"I don't think we've met him."

"No. He didn't go to deliver your little prisoner. He doesn't speak English, and he has a horrible temper, so he would have just gotten in the way."

"So, can you tell me all the members of the team?"

"Well, originally it wasn't a team, it was just Yuusuke. Reikai always keeps a human around called a Spirit Detective with hight spirit energy to protect normal humans from demons and any otherworldly threats."

There was a pause. "Does that include aliens?"

Genkai gave him a slight smirk. "Not yet. You should talk to him about that though. He probably wouldn't mind lending a hand every once in a while. Anyway, Yuusuke made friends with Hiei and Kurama- two demons who live nearby- well, Hiei doesn't anymore, but Kurama will probably stick around a few more decades. His friend from school, Kuwabara, turned out to be a psychic, and joined up too, and there you have it."

"What about Shuichi?"

Genkai's lips quirked upward. "Well, that's an interesting story." She suddenly looked as if she was trying not to laugh. "Yuusuke was sent to arrest him after he stole a dangerous artifact from the Reikai vaults. But as it turns out, he just wanted it to save his mother, and turned himself in after he used it, so Koenma let him off lightly- put him on parole, and made him work as a part of the team."

"But if he wasn't your student, how did he learn about Reikai?"

Genkai's smile was full blown now. "You'll have to ask him."

Fury his temper heating up. This woman was just leading them on! He took a calming breath, but it didn't seem to help much.

"You're not telling us much."

"I'm telling you more than anyone else would, so get over yourself. I gave you the information you wanted. Now get out of my house before I kick you out."

"I'm not leaving until you give me more. This is important! The entire world could-"

There was a loud crash, a very undignified and out of character yelp of pain and surprise, and Genkai glanced casually at the man sized hole in her shoji. "I'm a very literal person." She glanced at the other agent. "Do you want to follow your boss' example or learn from his mistake?"

Needless to say, Agent Hill was out of that building in under a minute.

Genkai sighed, and gave the hole a critical look. "I'll get Yuusuke to fix that." She muttered to herself, then she sat back down on her mat, and poured herself a nice hot cup of green tea.

A/N: I made up Genkai's other name. 'Kyoda' was actually taken from her voice actress Hisako Kyoda. I felt that it fit.

No, Genkai didn't answer all his questions, but she still did a lot of explaining this chapter. I kind of almost feel bad for Fury . . . meh, not really. He probably deserved it. Gah! I used the word glare way to much in this chapter.

On another note, I have noticed that actual reviews have sort of trickled off. I mean, there were only two last chapter(thank you very much by the way!) But there have been a lot of favorites and follows, so I can't help but think that people do still like the story. So, here's the deal. I will promise a short side fic that I will post separately when(not if!) this story gets up to twenty reviews. See, I'm not withholding chapters or anything, I'm just motivating the shy individuals that stalk FFnet quietly . . . I still feel kind of ashamed that I have sunk to this level though.

The side fic will feature Shizuru and Hiei, and will be set around chapter two.

And there we have it, my longest A/N so far. Review!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Finally done! And posted! I feel like there are probably a lot of grammar and spelling errors that I'm missing right, now, but I'm too tired to care. The side fic is posted, let me know (by review, preferably) if you like it- because if you do, I might write another one.

Yuusuke walked down the corridor of Koenma's palace with a frown that was _not_ a pout fixed firmly on his face. His hands were stuffed firmly in his jean pockets, and the apron he wore when working waved back and forth as his stalked forward.

He in the back of the group- keeping an eye on the weird people Kurama said he knew. He was just about ready to beat that armored jerk's freaky mask in right now, but Kurama had said the guy would buy him a new one.

_I still want to beat that arrogant jerk up._ He almost wished that the guy hadn't offered to pay up, because then Yuusuke would have had a totally valid excuse to pummel him into the dust.

They had, at this point, reached the main entrance hall, and Yuusuke let his eyes drift upward- just to see their reaction to the sight of ogres and shinigami running around.

He was a little disappointed that none of them seemed shocked, although there were a few eyebrows being raised.

_Wonder how they'll react to Koenma?_ That managed to lift his spirits and send a smirk to his face, and he was so caught up in his thoughts that he almost missed Botan approaching.

"What a pleasant surprise! Yuusuke! Kur-"

"Botan, how nice to meet you." Kurama interrupted. That wasn't really his style, why had he- oh, right, he was going by Shuichi.

"Hey Shuichi!" Yuusuke yelled from the back. "Hurry up, I don't have time for your social stops! Catch up with Botan later."

Kurama sent him a relived look, then glanced back at Botan, who looked mildly confused. Before she could say anything else too revealing, Kurama smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's nice to see you Botan, but I'm here to take these people to see Koenma."

The ferry girl immediately perked up. "Oh, well that's why I'm here! George is having a hard time with the printers, so Koenma asked me to come and get you all." She turned to the rest of their group, and then . . . started speaking in . . . English?

Yuusuke frowned. "I didn't know she could speak English." He muttered.

Kurama, who was suddenly right beside him, smiled. "It's a requirement for all Ferry Girls to speak at least three languages fluently."

"Why?"

Kurama gave him a look. "Why do you think?"

Yuusuke paused, frowned, scratched his chin, and then it hit him. "Oh . . . right. I guess not everyone who dies speaks Japanese."

He gave Botan a critical look. "What's the other language she can speak?"

"French."

"How do you know that?"

Kurama winked. "A thief is always well informed."

Yuusuke huffed, and turned his attention back to Botan, just as Kurama slipped back up to the the front of the group. He didn't know what she was saying, but he could tell from her facial expressions and hand motions that she was in 'tour mode.'

The small group headed towards Koenma's office at a maddeningly slow pace, with Botan now in the lead, pointing, smiling, and altogether talking way to much. A few of the other Ferry Girls nodded a greeting here and there, and so of the ogre's gave them curious glances, but otherwise their visit went unhindered.

This was odd in and of itself, which made Yuusuke suspicious. Had Koenma known about this? His eyes narrowed as he walked. If so, he had someone else to blame for his now ruined Ramen stand.

_The brat could have at least given is a warning._ He growled inwardly. Honestly, Koenma just couldn't give them a little info? Not just a small heads up? Especially after last month's jailbreak-from-hell(the literal kind). Kuwabara still hadn't caught up on his sleep, and Yuusuke's Ramen/ghost hunting business was still a little behind profit-wise(one of the reasons why his stand being wrecked had pissed him off so much- this was just going to put him farther behind).

He sent another glare toward Iron-faced jerk, or whatever he was called, then let his gaze fall on the corridor they were now entering.

Finally, we're almost there.

Now the double doors were in sight, and there was George, standing at the doors, shuffling around papers, and obviously_ waiting_ for them.

_Okay, that tears it._

Yuusuke stomped forward and gave the huge doors a vicious kick. They flew open with a 'fwoosh' of air and a bang, and he immediately stalked over to the little ruler. As usual, Koenma's desk was completely covered in stacks of papers and folders, and Yuusuke leaned forward in order to see him.

"You. Little. BRAT!" He yelled, sending an only slightly smoldering-from-youki fist into the desk, which gave a protesting groan in response. The fact that it _didn't_ break was a great sign of self control on the detective's part.

"You knew these guys were coming but you didn't tell me? What's that all about, huh? This guy-" Here Yuusuke pointed an accusing finger in the general direction of said guy, "-broke my only source of income, so unless you're going to start paying us for our work, I expect a little heads up next time I get attacked by Weirdo American Cosplayers!"

"I'm Russian."

Yuusuke blinked, his attention suddenly diverted. He didn't quite register the small sigh of relief that could be heard from Koenma. The one who had spoken was the lady- he one with red hair that Kurama had winked at.

_Well, they both have red hair. They'd fit well together- if he were just a bit taller in his human form . . ._

Pushing his thoughts away from that particular train track, he shrugged. "Whatever. I don't care where you all came from."

"Now Yuusuke, that's not very polite. We're trying to foster good relations between Reikai and SHIELD, the least you could do is apply some good manners."

"Yeah, I'll remember that- the next time my source of income is squashed by some idiot dressed as a robot."

Koenma sighed. "Well, I suppose if you're that worked up about it, I could provide you with a new one."

Outwardly he huffed and muttered, "Fine." But inwardly, he was feeling very pleased with himself.

_Alright! Now, I can get money for damage from armor man, and a brand new one from the brat!_

Koenma was giving him a weird look, so he decided it was time to let the conversation move on.

"Well, if you're gonna talk, talk! I don't have time for this crap." Yuusuke growled, more because of habit than actual impatience, and settled against the wall, his arms crossed. As he had guessed, the conversation was in English, so it didn't interest him much.

He didn't even try to figure out what they were saying, instead planning what he would do with the extra money.

His sensible, 'Keiko' side, as he liked to call it, was telling him that he would need it to make up for his losses from this month. The rest of him was voting for a party of some sort that involved liberal amounts of food and sake.

He sighed and glanced over at he odd group that he had come here with. They were talking civilly, and it looked like they were going to be going for a while.

Great. What a waste of a day.

End~

Yokatta ne!

A/N: Okay, so the ending was a bit lame. I just couldn't find a good transition. I don't think I'm going to go back over this from a different perspective, but I'll probably do a recap sort of thing.

So, has anyone else heard about the new tv series, 'Agents of SHIELD?'

Joss Whedon FTW! Yep, that's right, it's live action, created by Joss Whedon, and the first episode is showing on September 24. Normally I would be the last person to hear about this because I don't have cable, but they leave the tv on for night shift, and I saw the ad. Of course, it will probably make this fic obsolete, but I'm still excited.

Also, apparently Colson is alive.

Oops, spoiler- well not really, since he's the main character and all.


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